Friction-drive for automobiles.



l. H. GORDON.

FRICTION DRIVE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION TILED AUG-4| I914.

Patented Mar. 7,1916;

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FRICTION DRIVE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-4, 1914.

1,174,064. I Patented Mar. 7,1916.

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. 'IrnUs is. GORDON, or. vnnorfvrnm', vnnmonr, assrenon or ens-mm 'roNA'.[,HAN

A. NORTON, OF LYNDONVILLE, VERMONT.

FRICTION-DRIVE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed August 4, 1914. sem No. 854,999.

State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFriction- Drives for Automobiles, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to new and-useful improvements in transmissionmechanisms for self-propelled vehicles, the primary object of myinvention being the provision of an improved form of friction geartransmission.

In this connection, a further object of my invention is to provide thevehicle with a multiple cylinder gas engine of the usual, or anypreferred type. which, instead of being mounted longitudinally of thevehicle,

as is now customary, is mounted transversely of the vehicle. Thisarrangement is of value in that it insures more uniform circulation ofwater through the cooling jacket of the engine and of oil to the variousbearings,

irrespective of the length or inclination of the grades over which thevehicle travels.

A further object of my invention is to provide a transmission gearing inwhich power is transmitted from the transverse crank shaft of theengine, by one or more drive chains, to a transversely mounted jackshaft carrying forward and reverse drive friction wheels and a directdrive bevel wheel, power being transmitted from this jack shaft to adrive shaft operatively connected to a differential mechanism bybringing one or the other of the friction Wheels into engagement with afriction disk carried by the drive shaft or by bringing the bevel gearof the jack shaft into mesh with a bevel gear carried by the driveshaft.

In friction gear transmissions, as now commonly,used, the drive is froma frlction disk to a friction wheel rather than from afriction wheel toa friction disk, although this latter form of power transmission is moreefiicient as preventing uneven wear of the frictionwheel, caused byslippage when throwing in the clutch. Furthermore, it

does away with the necessity of a second jack shaft and of one or moreuniversal joints. I

A still further object of my invention consists in the provision of anovel form of compound bearing or support for the drive Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7 1916.

shaft, whereby the friction disk and bevel gear carried thereby may bemoved longitudinally of the shaft to bring them into and out ofengagement with the friction Wheels and bevel gear of the jack shaft.

In this connection, a still further object of my invention consists inthe provision of novel and simple mechanisms for selectively bringingeither friction wheel into proper engagement with the friction disk orfor bringing the bevel gears into mesh with each other, allof thesemechanisms being so arranged that the proper drive members may beautomatically locked in active position.

With these and other objects in View, my invention will be more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and thenspecifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form apartof this application.

taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 1s a transverse, verticalsectional view, taken 'on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in thedirection of the arrows and showing certain details in the controllingmechanism for the friction wheels and also illustrating one of thebearings for the.drive shaft: Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional viewtaken on the line 44 of Fig.- 1, illustrating other details of drivingshaft support; Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line55 of Fig. 1, still further illustrating the mannerof supporting thedrive shaft and the friction disk and bevel gear carried thereby.

Corresponding andlike parts are referred to in the following descriptionand indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same referencecharacters.

In order to insure a clear understanding of the various features ofconstruction and the cooperation of different parts, I have illustratedmy invention in connection with a conventional vehicle frame 10including the side frame members '11 supported at the front and rear bysuitable springs 12 mes es which in turn are secured to the front andrear axles 13 and 14. Therear axle is of section 18 connected. by auniversal joint 19, this latter shaft section 18 being journaled insuitable bearings, as will-be later more fully pointed out.

The vehicle frame, at its forward end, carries a radiator 20 of theusual or any preferredtype and supported by the frame transversely ofthe vehicle, and immediately at the rear of the radiator, is a multiplecylinder gas engine, conventionally indicated at 21, the cooling jacketsof this gasengine being connected to the radiator by pipes 22 and 23 inthe usual well known manner. The crank shaft 24 of this engine ispreferablv journaled in suitable bearings carried by the side framemembers and carries at either side of the engine a sprocket wheel 25.Sprocket chains 26 are trained over these sprocket wheels and oversprocket wheels 27 carried by a jack shaft 28 which is also journaled inbearings carried by the side frame members of the car, the jack shaftextending in parallel spaced relation to the crank shaft 24. One end ofthe crank shaft and also one end of the jack shaft are extended beyondthe side of the vehicle and provided with squared terminals 29 adaptedto receive a hand crank by means of which the engine may be started. Itwill therefore be seen that rotation of either the crank shaft 24 orjack shaft 28 will start the engine, either one being employed as isfound more convenient, due to body design of the vehicle. To facilitatethis dual method of cranking, the sprocket wheels of the crank shaft andof the jack shaft should be of uniform size. Fluid tight housings orcasings 30 surround the sprocket chains and their sprockets in orderthat the chains may run in oil and also to prevent accumulation of dirtand grit which would otherwise wear the chains out.

A shipper collar 31 is keyed or otherwise mounted against turningmovement while left free for reciprocatory movement upon the jack shaft28 and carries a friction wheel 32 to which is bolted, upon its innerface, a bevel gear 33. A second shipper collar 34 is also mounted inlike manner upon the jack shaft 28 and carries a second friction wheel35 having a bevel peripheral edge 36. Secured by its upturned ends tothe side frame members 11, directly at the rear of the jack shaft 28, isa U-shaped bracket 38 which extends at a level below the peripheraledges of the friction wheels and which has its intermediate portionextended upwardly as shown at 39 and looped to forfn a bearing 40 forthe free forward end of the drive shaft section 18. Keyed or otherwisesecured for reciprocati )D. upon this drive shaft section, is a sleeve41 wh ch is held against turning movement independent of the shaftsection and which carries a collar 42 provided peripherally with agroove 43, this collar being loosely mounted upon the sleeve and in factforming a second bearing for the shaft section. As a means forsupporting this latter bearing,l provide superimposed, transverselyextending supporting bars 44 which are pivotally mounted at one end toone of the frame members ll as shown at 45 in Fig. l and which are slid:ably mounted at their other ends in a longitudinal slot 46 formed in theother side frame member. The intermediate portions of these bars areoppositely bowed to form an eye 47 engaging in the groove 43. It willtherefore be seen that swinging of that end of the bars extendingthrough the slot 46 will serve to advance or retract the collar 42. Afriction disk 48 is keyed or otherwise reciprocally mounted upon thesleeve 41 directly in advance of the collar 42 and the abutting faces ofthis disk and collar are grooved to receive a thrust bearing 49.

The friction disk is provided with a bevel peripheral edge 50 adapted tobe engaged by the bevel edge of the friction wheel 35 and the disk alsocarries a bevel gear 51 adapted, under certain circumstances, to meshwith the bevel gear 33. Preferably one, and in some instances, both ofthese bevel gears are formed of pressed rawhide or other similarmaterial in order to render the gears as silent in their action aspossible.

As a means for reciprocating the friction wheel 32, and consequently thebevel gear 33, I provide a bell crank lever 52 which is pivotedintermediate its length upon a bracket 53 carried by the vehicle frameand which is provided at one end with vertically spaced arms 54 havingslots 55 to receive pins 56 carried by a collar 57 which is mounted toturn in a groove 58 formed in 'the sleeve or collar 31. A rod 59pivotally connects the free end of the bell crank lever which seat in agroove 67 of the collar'or sleeve 34. 'A link 68 pivotallv connects theintermediate portion of this lever with the lower end of a foot pedal 69which is pivoted intermediate its length as shown at 70,

gage the pedal when the latter is swung forwardl to lock the frictionwheel inits innermost position, the pedal being releasable from thesenotches bv slight side pressure. In order to provide for longitudinalreciprocation of the collar 42, and consequently of the friction disk 48and gear 51,

I provide a foot pedal 7 5 having an arcuate shank 76 slidable through aslot 77 in the foot board .and terminating in spaced fingers 78straddling the bars 44 to which they are loosely pivoted. This shank,where it passes through the slot, is notched to provide ratchet teeth 79for engagement by a keeper 80 and a leaf spring 81 serves to normallymaintain the pedal shank in such position.

as to be automatically locked. However,

slight pressure against the upper edge of the pedal will at any timerelease it and permit its return movement. A helical spring 82 issecured to the frame of the vehicle and to the slidable end of the bars44 and serves as a means'for drawing such bars, together with thefriction wheel and gear, rearwardly.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings,the operation of my improved friction gear transmission mechanism willbe readily understood. Under normal conditions, that is, when thevehicle is at rest, both friction wheels 33.

tion, that is, at the rear of the transverse plane of the peripheraledge of the friction wheel 32. Under these conditions, the engine may becranked without transmitting any power to the rear axle. When started,the hand lever.60 is manipulated to bring the friction wheel 32 tosubstantially the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings and pressureis applied to the foot pedal 75, which may well be termed the clutchpedal, to force the friction disk- 48 into engagement with the frictionwheel 32, this being the lowest speed drive of the vehicle. From time totime the speed may be gradually increased by slightly retracting'thefriction disk by means of the clutch pedal, manipulating the lever 60 tomove the friction wheel 32 closer to the center of the jack shaft andagain forcing the friction disk 48 into engagement therewith. Whensufficient headway has been attained, a direct drive may be had byrepetition of the above operation, the friction wheel 32 being thenmoved in such a manner as to bring the.

bevel gears 33 and 51 into mesh. It will of course be clear that thevehicle may, when at rest, be started in the reverse direction, byproper manipulation of the foot pedal 69 and clutch pedal 75.

Although I have illustrated and described my invention in all itsdetails, it will of course be understood that I reserve the right tomake any changes, within the scope of the appended claims, without inthe slightest degree departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new is:

1. The combination with a transversely disposed motor shaft, of alongitudinally extending drive shaft, and means for transmitting powerfrom the motor shaft to the drive shaft, said means including sprocketsmounted on the motor shaft, a transverse horizontal jack shaft,sprockets on the jack shaft, chains trained over the sprockets of themotor shaft and jack shaft, afriction wheel slidablv mounted on the jacK shaft to rotate therewith, and a friction disk operatively mountedon the drive shaft.

2. The combination with a transversely disposed motor shaft, of alongitudinally extending drive shaft, and means for transmitting powerfrom the motor shaft to the drive shaft, said means including sprocketsmounted on the motor shaft, a transverse horizontal jack shaft,sprockets on the jack shaft, chains trained over the sprockets of themotor shaft and jack shaft, a friction wheel slidably mounted on thejack shaft to rotate therewith, a sleeve reciprocally mounted on thedrive shaft to rotate therewith, a friction disk carried by the sleeve,and means for normally holding the friction disk in engagement with thefriction wheel.

3. The combination with a transversely disposed motor shaft, of alongitudinally extending drive. shaft, and means for transmitting powerfrom the motor shaft to the drive shaft, said means including sprocketsmounted on the motor shaft, a transverse horizontal jack shaft,sprockets on the jack shaft, chains trained over the sprockets of themotor shaft and jack shaft, a friction wheel slidablv mounted on thejack shaft to rotate therewith, a sleeve reciprocally mounted on thedrive shaft to rotate therewith, a friction disk carried by the sleeve,and means for normally holding the friction disk in engagement with thefriction wheel, said means including a pedal operatively connected tothe sleeve, and means for locking the pedal.

4. The combination with a horizontal transverse motor shaft, of alongitudinal drive shaft, and means for transmitting power from themotor shaft to the drive shaft, said means including a friction disklongitudinally of the jack shaft across the face of the friction disk,and positive drive clongiection between the jack shaft and motor s a t.v

5. The'combination with a drive shaft, 'of a jack shaft, means fortransmitting ower to the jack shaft, a friction disk carried by thedrive shaft, a bevel gear carried by the friction disk, means foradvancing or retracting the disk and gear, and means carried by the jackshaft for transmitting power to the disk or to the gear.

6. The combination with a drive shaft, of a jack shaft, means fortransmitting ower to the jack shaft, a friction disk carried by thedrive shaft, a bevel gear carried by the friction disk, means foradvancing or retracting the disk and gear, and means carried by the jackshaft, for transmitting power to the-disk or to the gear, said meanslncluding a friction wheel and bevel gear carried by the friction wheel,and means for reciprocating the wheel and gear along the jack shaft.

'2'. In a transmission mechanism for vehicles, the combinationwith adrive shaft, of a jack shaft, a friction disk mounted for reciprocationalong the drive shaft, friction wheels mounted for reciprocation alongthe.

against one side of the forward face of the disk, while the other has abevel peripheral edge to engage against the opposite side of thefriction disk which also has a bevel peripheral edge.

8. The combination with a vehicle frame, of a drive shaft, a support forthe drive shaft pivoted to one side of the frame and slidably mountedupon the other side,a friction disk reciprocally mounted on the driveshaft and movableforwardly or rearwardly through swinging of thesupporting member, a jack shaft, means for transmitting power to thejack shaft, andmeans for transmitting power from the jack shaft to thefriction disk.

9. The combination with a vehicle frame,

of a drive shaft, a support'for the drive shaft pivoted to one side ofthe frame and slidably mounted upon the other side, a

friction disk reciprocally mounted on the the jack shaft, and means forselectively reclprocating either friction wheel to bring it intoengagement with the disk.

10. The combination with a vehicle frame, ofa drive shaft, a support forthe drive shaft pivoted to one side of the frame and slidably mountedupon the other side, a friction disk reciprocally mounted on the driveshaft and movable forwardly or rearwardly through swinging of thesupporting member, a jack shaft, means for transmitting power to thejack shaft, and means for transmitting power from the jack shaft to thefriction disk, said latter means including friction wheels reciprocallymounted upon the jack shaft, and means for selectively reciprocatingeither friction wheel to bring it into engagement with the disk, one ofthe friction wheels being movable across the forward face of the disk.

11. The combination with a vehicle frame,

of a drive shaft, a support --for the drive shaft pivoted to one side ofthe frame and slidably mounted upon the other side, a friction diskreciprocally mounted on the drive shaft and movable forwardly orrearwardly through swinging of the supporting member, a jack shaft,means for transmitting power to the jack shaft, and means fortransmitting power from the jack shaft to the friction disk, said lattermeans including friction wheels reciprocally mounted .upon the jackshaft, and means for selectively reciprocating either friction wheel tobring it into engagement with the disk, one of thev friction wheelsbeing movable across the forward face of'the disk, a bevel gear carriedby said latter friction wheel, and a 'co-acting bevel gear carried bvthe disk.

In testimony whereof affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

v IPHUS H. GORDON. Witnesses FRED H. LYNns, N. A. NORTON.'

